Snowpiercer

Bong Joon-ho (2013)

Review

Our Score

by Stephen Carty

This uncompromising slice of dystopian sci-fi is that rarest of things: a thinking man's action film. It takes place in the year 2031, when the world has been plunged into a second ice age as a result of a failed experiment to prevent global warming. With the planet now uninhabitable, mankind's last survivors live on a self-sustaining train that has been circling the globe for the past 17 years. As each carriage is split into a different class system, the poor inhabitants of the tail end decide to stage a revolt against the controlling passengers at the front. Nit-pickers will probably find fault with the story's finer details, but the world-building is largely effective and the film is blessed with the inventive craftsmanship of talented film-maker Bong Joon-ho, who ensures that the set pieces are both thrilling and visually dynamic. Though some of the tonal shifts don't quite work, Bong's direction is generally masterful and he draws a range of diverse performances from a seasoned international cast, which includes a career-best turn from Chris Evans as the reluctant leader of the have-nots.

Summary

In a snow-ravaged world, a group of travellers fight for survival on a train that perpetually circumnavigates the globe. The vehicle's occupants are divided into a military ruling elite and their dishevelled captives. But now, 17 years after the train set out on its seemingly never-ending journey, the downtrodden, abused captives have had enough. Revolution is afoot. Bong Joon Ho's fantasy thriller, starring Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell and Octavia Spencer.